MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russia’s Matvey Safonov shined bright at the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar final match in Qatar, leading Paris Saint-Germain to victory after a dazzling performance minding the net in the penalty shootout, the Russian Football Union (RFU) press office said in a statement.
"Our congratulations to Matvey Safonov on winning the FIFA Intercontinental Cup," the statement reads. "The Russian national team’s goalkeeper is now the first one in history to save four penalties in a row in a match at a FIFA tournament."
The final match of the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup between Paris Saint-Germain football club from France and Brazilian Flamengo FC was played at the 45,000-seat capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium with a reported attendance of over 42,100.
"Meeting for the first time in a FIFA competition, Les Rouge et Bleu proved too strong for their Brazilian counterparts on the night and ensured that they ended 2025 on a high and added to their UEFA Champions League crown," a statement from FIFA reads.
The match stood at 1-1 after regular time, with PSG left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netting the first ball in the 38th minute and Flamengo’s Italian-born midfielder Jorginho tying it on a penalty kick in the 62nd minute.
No one scored in extra time, paving the way for a dramatic penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Safonov stole the show in PK’s, saving four out of five balls to give his club the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
"In front of their travelling support, it was PSG who prevailed 2-1 after an enthralling shootout, in which six of the nine penalties were missed or saved. However, it was Matvey Safonov who became the hero saving the decisive spot kick from Luiz Araujo," the FIFA statement added.
Before the penalty shootout Safonov left his goalkeeping box to shake hands with Brazilian club’s goalkeeper Agustin Rossi.
On the first penalty kick, the Russian goalie dived to the left, while Flamengo’s midfielder Diego De La Cruz sent one into the net near the right post.
However, the Russian goalkeeper made four consecutive saves after that, denying Flamengo’s Saul, Pedro, Leo Pereira and Luiz Araujo.
Commenting later on Safonov’s stellar play, Sports Minister and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Mikhail Degtyarev compared him to another Russian legend - Lev Yashin from the Soviet Union.
"My congratulations to Matvey Safonov regarding his outstanding play and new FIFA record," Degtyarev wrote on his Telegram account. "He is a true successor of great Lev Yashin. Our athletes have been and will always be the best."
Safonov, 26, joined PSG in the summer of 2024. He has played behind the club’s main goalie, Lucas Chevalier, for most of his time there, but last season he did start 17 matches for the club, seven of them clean sheets.
The 2025 Intercontinental Cup in Qatar is the second edition of the annual football club associations’ tournament organized by FIFA. The tournament comprised the six teams that won the previous edition of the continental championships in each of the FIFA Confederations, playing against each other in a single-elimination bracket between September 14 and December 17, 2025.